BIBLE ENRICHED SPIRITUAL TRUTHS: January 2020

Friday, 31 January 2020

Pakistan Frees 40 Christians After 5 Years in Prison for ‘Terrorism’

But two of their fellow detainees died while awaiting trial for the riots after Easter suicide attack on Youhanabad church.

Forty Pakistani Christians, who’ve been on trial for the murder of two men during a violent protest following Easter suicide attacks on two churches in Youhanabad – a majority-Christian area in Lahore – have been freed by the Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court. Two others, arrested with them, have already died, allegedly due to a lack of access to medical treatment.

The twin suicide bombings, on 15 March 2015, which killed 17 and injured another 80, were claimed by a splinter group of the Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. The death toll would have been much higher if church volunteers on ‘security duty’ had not acted quickly to defend worshippers.

In riots that erupted following the bomb blasts, a mob killed two Muslim men whom they believed had been involved in the attacks. In the end 42 Christians went on trial for their murder, but two died in prison before 2018. The other 40 have been waiting for their appeal to be heard by the Lahore High Court. Meantime, the group have reached a financial settlement with the families of the two men, which under Pakistani law allows for all their acquittal.

The Anti-Terrorism Court announced the verdict on 29 January, acquitting all, including those who had died, after recording the statements of the victims’ families, who told the court that they had arrived at an agreement with the suspects and would have no objections over their acquittal.

A local reacted: “As we give thanks as Christians in Pakistan, one cannot get away from the brutal realities of what this means. The journey of physical, emotional and spiritual healing ahead is a long one. Pray for the right people to be positioned alongside them.

“We also reflect on the lives and deaths of the two ...

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3 Ways UK Churches Can Turn Brexit’s Separation into Reintegration

Amid the "great divorce" from Europe, British believers can model a better blend of faith and politics—with each other and the global body of Christ.

Today the UK moves to the point of no return with Brexit.

There will be no marches on the streets to stop it, and no more votes in the Houses of Parliament to delay it. The UK remains a divided kingdom on this issue; however, after the landslide victory of the Conservatives in the general election, there’s been a stoic inevitability that has perhaps dampened the zeal of both Leavers and Remainers.

To mark—not celebrate—the occasion, a commemorative 50-pence coin has been minted, with this inscription: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations.” A bold hope for the UK’s new relationship with the world? Or salt in the wounds for the 48 percent who voted to remain in the European Union?

What does Brexit mean for the church? Considering only 1 in 10 UK Christians told pollsters last month that they have prayed about Brexit, does it make any difference at all? Or does it signal a fracture for many of us between our spiritual lives and our political lives?

I believe Brexit offers us three unique opportunities to reintegrate our faith and politics:

1) An opportunity to model a unity that transcends political diversity

Too often Christians struggle to find a unity in Christ first and in culture and political ideology second. We too easily join in with the polarization of our culture, and our churches end up divided along ethnic, class, and political lines indistinguishable from those of our neighbors. We were called to something higher. We follow the Jesus who welcomed both Levi the tax collector and Simon the Zealot into his family of disciples. These men represented diametrically opposed political visions: One sought to collaborate with the Roman Empire, while the other sought to overthrow ...

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One-on-One with Nick Hall on The Year of the Bible

Growing up in the church, I never actually learned how to read and prioritize the Bible, and for much of my life it wasn’t a priority.

Ed: Talk to me about The Year of the Bible movement. How did this idea begin in your heart?

Nick: Year of the Bible is an effort to see more people in the Bible, more. The campaign is taking place in over 100 nations around the world, with hundreds of organizations and thousands of churches involved.

It’s important to note that while this campaign is launching in 2020, it has much more to do with calling people to have a year where the Bible becomes foundational to every area of their lives. That said, a person’s Year of the Bible starts whenever they are ready to dive in!

As we all know, Bible engagement isn’t nearly as high as we would hope it to be. I think I’m like many church leaders in that Bible engagement is something that I care deeply about, but have never really prioritized in my public ministry. I’m not sure it’s commonly a goal for churches, but I’d say it’s the one thing that changes everything.

Even in Willow Creek’s Reveal Study, getting people in the Word was the single factor that had the greatest impact on discipleship, evangelism, generosity, and more.

This idea was born in my heart out of a personal longing to have 20/20 vision come from the Word of God, rather than the latest and greatest ideas. Growing up in the church, I never actually learned how to read and prioritize the Bible, and for much of my life it wasn’t a priority.

I know what it’s like to feel guilty of not getting in the Word, yet feeling stuck when I get in it. Today, there are better tools and resources than ever before to help people fall in love with God’s Word.

Hearing about God is great, but hearing from God is even better. Let’s get people to the Source!

Ed: ...

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The 49ers Chaplain Went from San Quentin to the Super Bowl

In a winning season, Earl Smith also saw the team grow in faith.

This year’s Super Bowl–bound San Francisco 49ers remind Earl Smith of the family-like unity the Golden State Warriors had when they won the NBA Finals in 2015.

And Smith would know. He serves as the chaplain for both teams.

From society’s perspective, Smith has ministered to the greatest and the least. His work as a chaplain started in California’s San Quentin State Prison, where he witnessed 12 executions and played chess with prisoners including Charles Manson. More recently, it has brought him to the sidelines of professional sports at its peak, celebrating big wins beside celebrity athletes like the Warriors’ Steph Curry.

“By virtue of who these guys are, they are the best of the best,” Smith said in an interview with CT, calling from Miami, where the 49ers play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday. “They’re famous, yet if you allow yourself to be locked in on the fame, you might negate the opportunity to present Christ in a proper way.”

Most weeks during the season, Smith’s work resembles the work of any pastor. He prepares and leads the team Bible study, goes through a book study with the 49ers coaching staff, conducts a Saturday night chapel service, and makes himself available for counseling. Meanwhile, he’s spending his own daily time reading Scripture and meeting with his pastor.

Smith said people will often ask him about which players on the 49ers team are Christians, and in response he likes to ask them which people in church are Christians. His point is clear: “Only Christ knows the true commitment of the heart.”

A graduate of Bishop College and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, he focuses on spiritual themes ...

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Interview: Yes, You Can Trust the Four Gospels—Even When They Conflict

Literary device theory is gaining popularity among scholars. Philosopher Lydia McGrew doesn’t buy it.

Recently, a number of New Testament scholars have been very interested in exploring the possibility that the gospel writers might have been using literary devices in their work. Why do some of their accounts differ gospel to gospel? Did they embellish the facts? Did they create stories to make a point? Michael Licona (interviewed by CT on this topic) and other leading scholars are of the mind that some of these literary devices help explain why the gospel writers don’t tell the same exact narrative.

Christian philosopher Lydia McGrew is not convinced, however. After writing blog posts critically engaging this theory, she got significant pushback and decided to dive into the research in earnest. The result of that work is her recently published book, The Mirror and the Mask: Liberating the Gospels from Literary Devices (DeWard Publishing), which argues that literary device theory is not only unnecessary for resolving discrepancies but also may do more harm than good.

CT interviewed McGrew to find out why she’s not a fan of this approach to New Testament interpretation.

Tell us about the catalyst for this project.

I noticed that certain approaches to gospel differences and alleged gospel discrepancies were becoming more popular in the evangelical world and especially the apologetics community. I started looking into them, and I realized that these could potentially be quite a problem. My goal in writing this book is to show that the gospel authors were honest, clear reporters who were not deliberately changing the facts but were trying to tell what really happened.

There is a negative and a positive side to that. My concern with the kind of literary devices these scholars are talking about is that they would ...

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Mary the Priest and Phil the Groundhog Beat Out Super Bowl Hoopla

The real reason February 2 is an occasion for feasting.

Groundhog Day enthusiasts will tell you that for decades there has only been one groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil, even though groundhogs only live for six years or so. In a similar way, it can feel like there’s always a single distraction in American culture; we just keep switching out the bodies.

Our fresh amusements or outrages are periodically lifted up by the next man with a top hat, making it especially appropriate that the groundhog celebration coincides this year with the pageantry of Super Bowl Sunday. What makes February 2 a strikingly sad illustration of our national propensities is the splendor of what it conceals.

But don’t take my word for it; take Pope Pius IX’s. The definer of papal infallibility and author of the 1864 Syllabus of Errors claimed the Virgin Mary was called “Virgin Priest by the Fathers of the Church.”

The 20th-century priest René Laurentin decided to fact-check this pontifical declaration, just as puzzled readers might do today. Two dissertations later, Laurentin learned the Pope was right—the priesthood of Mary saturates the Christian tradition, and even has biblical basis. Mary is connected, through her kinswoman Elizabeth, to a priestly lineage even higher than Elizabeth’s husband, the priest Zechariah (Luke 1:5, 36). Hence church authorities like Theodore the Studite could say regarding Mary, “Hail daughter, young sacrificial priest,” and Tarasios the Patriarch of Constantinople could call her “the greatest among the high priests.”

Such associations are especially clear in art history, where Mary regularly sports vestments reserved for the clergy. This appears even in mainstream illustrations for the Feast of the Presentation ...

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Thursday, 30 January 2020

Willow Creek Restarts Search for Its Next Bill Hybels

After months of delays in the process, the church’s interim pastor announces plans to resign.

The search for a new leader at Willow Creek Community Church is back to the drawing board.

Elders at the suburban Chicago megachurch announced Thursday that they have released the two finalists they were considering for the role of senior pastor from the search process.

The elders also announced that acting senior pastor Steve Gillen will step down in March.

The church has been without a permanent senior pastor since pastors Heather Larson and Steve Carter resigned in August 2018 as a result of the church’s mishandling of misconduct allegations against founding pastor Bill Hybels. Its previous elder board also resigned at that time.

Earlier this week, Willow Creek was rocked by news that Hybels’ mentor Gilbert Bilezikian—known widely as “Dr. B”—had been accused of misconduct between 1984 and 1988 by a longtime church member.

Bilezikian denied those allegations to Religion News Service. Church elders, however, said they believe they are true.

Gillen acknowledged the “difficult news about one of our founders and someone who’s had a huge impact on many of our lives” before the midweek service Wednesday on Willow Creek’s main campus in South Barrington, Illinois.

“Truthfully, I don’t want to get into it, because in my sadness, I just want to focus on God. I want to sing songs to him, and I want to one more time in my life acknowledge he is the foundation of my life and he is the foundation of our church,” he said.

Elders had planned to announce a new senior pastor by the end of 2019.

In their update Thursday, they wrote: “While both candidates have strong qualities as pastors, we released both from candidacy. Our consensus was that neither candidate is ...

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